Davy V.

News

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Less than two weeks after after I broke the story of Irondequoit, NY Police Department Detective Jim Frascati's racist posts on his facebook page, which led not only to Fracati's suspension, but which also prompted the City of Rochester, NY to suspend Stephen Cusenz, the Deputy Director of 911 services, for also posting racist comments on facebook, a 911 operator has been arrested by the FBI.

Almost exactly a year to the date (a year and 15 days to be exact) after Rochester, NY television news reporter Rachel Barnhart went on a social media rant about coffee, after a local Rochester coffee shop owner opened his shop a little late because of a snow storm, Barnhart is at it again.

Except this time her rant is not about coffee.

It's about a dryer.

Yes.

A dryer.

Apparently Barnhart purchased a dryer from Best Buy.

And when she didn't receive the dryer, she went on an angry rant.

Now even though Rachel Barnhart's tweets, which you can see in the screen shots below, aren't really bad, it's what a Best Buy employee said Barnhart said to her, which is not only disturbing, but disgusting.

According to the Best Buy employee who works at Best Buy's customer relations center, and who asked me not to publish her name, Rachel Barnhart "was acting like a crazy woman."

"She was yelling and screaming at me and she was acting like a crazy woman and wouldn't let me get in a word," said the young woman.

But it's what the employee says happened next, that she says she still can't believe.

"I told her I was going to put her on hold because I was trying to see if there was any way that the dryer was in stock, but I didn't actually put her on hold, I just wasn't talking and that's when she yelled 'fucking bitch!", the employee said.

"I then told her that her behavior was uncalled for, I mean I have had all kinds of calls but no one has ever called me the b word."

The employee went on to tell me that Rachel Barnhart called the customer service center several times .

"She called several times over and over again and was extremely rude each time," adding, "She was out of control.

Linden, New Jersey Police officer Pedro Abad, who drove the wrong way on a New York expressway, before crashing head on into a tractor trailer, killing two men, including a fellow Linden Police officer, had eight prior accidents and a DUI on his record.

In October of 2013, a judge suspended Abad's drivers license was for seven months for a February 2013 accident in Rathway, New Jersey which involved alcohol.

In that accident, Pedro Abad refused to submit to a sobriety test.

In the last 10 years, Pedro Abad has been involved in a total of six accidents.

And just four months after the February 2013 crash in Rathway, New Jersey, Pedro Abad was involved in yet another accident, making it eight crashes.

I mean, just look at the photo of his bedroom below, in a basement, where several bottles of liquor can be seen next to his bed.

What I don't understand is how the Linden, New Jersey Police Department hired this guy in the first place.

Were they that desperate?

Read my original story below.

By Davy V.

A Linden, New Jersey Police officer is dead, and two more were critically injured, after one of them, Pedro Abad, hit a tractor trailer head on after a long night of drinking which included a stop at a strip club.

Just a few hours before the crash, Linden Police officer Pedro Abad posted a photo of several Jack Daniels shot glasses with the caption "Jack Daniels Fire on the house."

The 27-year old Abad then got into his Honda Civic along with fellow Linden Police offcers Frank Viggiano, and Patrik Kudiac, as well as a friend, Joe Rodriguez.

Early Friday morning, around 5 a.m., Officer Abad drove his Honda Civic the wrong way on New York's West Shore Expressway, then crashed head on with the tractor trailer.

Linden Police officer Frank Viggiano, 28, died at Richmond University Medical Center, and Joe Rodriguez, also 28 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene of the horrific accident.

Officer Kudiac, 23, and Abad remain in critical condition.

The tractor trailer driver suffered minor injuries.

Moments before Abad smashed into the tractor trailer, a witness tried to warn him by flashing his lights at Abad.

"I kind of pulled to the side, I kind of slowed down, I tried to warn them with the lights," said the witness, who was not identified, adding, "When I heard afterwards there was an accident, I kind of in my mind thought it was those guys."

Another irresponsible, immature cop, who failed to abide by a code of ethics which demands that he ALWAYS comport himself in a responsible manner.

ON, OR OFF DUTY.

Can you imagine, if instead of a tractor trailer, this drunk cop had crashed into a minivan with young children inside?

One thing for sure, Linden Police officer Pedro Abad sure liked to drink, and post photos of alcohol on Instagram.

Last Thursday, March 19th, I received an anonymous email tipping me off to some disturbing, racist posts, posted by Irondequoit, NY Police Detective Jim Frascati to his facebook page.

Those posts can be seen below.

After verifying and confirming a few things, I exposed Irondequoit, NY top cop Jim Frascati.

Surprisingly, Rochester, NY's mainstream news media contacted me one day after I broke the story right here on my blog.

I say "surprisingly", because mainstream news media is usually very close with law enforcement, as they have to protect their relationship with police agencies.

You see, mainstream news media depends on law enforcement to feed them tips, leads, and other information about "Breaking News" stories.

And mainstream news media is very cautious not to bite the hand that feeds them.

So mainstream news media usually treads very lightly when it comes to reporting on incidents of misconduct involving police officers.

Which is why I was surprised when News 10NBC reporter Berkeley Brean sent me a message on Twitter, telling me he wanted to talk to me about my story on Detective Jim Frascati.

But even after interviewing me, Brean and his station were very cautious.

They wouldn't even report Frascati's name.

Basically covering their ass.

Law enforcement also uses mainstream media, to "spin", and "justify" certain things, such as when a police officer executes an unarmed person, mainstream news media outlets will serve as a vehicle to almost immediately get out law enforcement's side of the story.

And it's that side, which the general viewing public tends to not only believe, but perhaps more importantly, to remember.

The result is that in essence, mainstream news media, through their spinning, and justifying incidents of misconduct, abuse, and in some cases, murders of innocent citizens by police officers, ends up tainting the court of public opinion, and can even ruin any potential grand jury action against police officers.

After all, grand juries are made up of citizens, right?

The same citizens who tend to believe the first thing they hear.

Law enforcement's side.

The side which mainstream news media is quick to report.

See my point?

Ok.

Sorry.

Enough rambling, let's get you caught up with some updates.

Below the update, you will find my original story.

P.S. If you like my work, and my passion for exposing a side of law enforcement officers and public officials, which many would much rather sweep under the rug, then please take a few seconds to read about my film "A Promise to My Dad".

Unlike these Corporate-America run mainstream news media reporters, I don't make a penny from what I do, which is interesting, because as a citizen-journalist, and a one-man show, I manage to get my hands on, and expose things which mainstream news would otherwise moss.

Or ignore.

Just a couple of weeks ago I exposed a disturbing video of a Rochester, NY Fire Department recruit making anti-Semitic comments.

That recruit was terminated, after City of Rochester officials saw the video.

Right here on my blog.

I love what I do.

And I do it out of a passion.

A passion my dad instilled in me, which is why my upcoming film "A Promise to My Dad" is so important to me.

So if after reading my blog, you support what I do, then please consider supporting my film by making a small contribution.

So just how deep does Monroe County, NY law enforcement's "Good Ol' Boys Club" roots run?

Well, how about this.

If you take a look at the third screenshot, below Detective Frascati's photo below, you'll see a post by Jim Frascati about Mexicans.

Check out the comment by "Sp Cuz".

"They probably gave your toothpaste to the Mexicans! Now... they can use the EBT cards for beer."

So who is "Sp Cuz"?

None other than Stephen Cuszens, the Deputy Director of the City of Rochester, NY's 911 Center.

Wednesday afternoon, (March 25th) Stephen Cusenz, the Deputy Director of the City of Rochester, NY's Emergency Communications Services (911), was suspended for five days without pay, after admitting that he did in fact post a racist comment on Irondequoit, NY Police Detective Jim Frascati's racist post about Mexicans.

In a statement, City of Rochester officials had this to say regarding their suspension of Stephen Cusenz:

"Although the post was made on his personal account and outside of his work hours, the Department determined that as Deputy Director, he would be held accountable for his professional and personal actions at a higher level than other rank and file employees."

(Full City of Rochester, NY statement can be seen below.)

As part of his suspension, City of Rochester officials also ordered that Cusenz take diversity training classes.

Stephen Cusenz has deactivated his Facebook account.

Irondequoit, NY Police Detective Jim Frascati deactivated his Facebook account shortly after I exposed him right here on my blog.

So not only do we have Jim Frascati, a cop with obvious racist views, patrolling a diverse town, but now we also have Stephen Cusenz, the Deputy Director of Monroe County, NY's 911 center, a person who oversees all the calls that come in for emergencies, from persons of all races, rooting Frascati on, and as a result, supporting and approving disturbing, racist views, even posting disturbing comments himself.

So what's taking Irondequoit, NY Town Supervisor Afam Bello and Irindequoit Police Chief Richard Tantalo so long to complete their "investigation"?

Since I broke the story about Irondequoit, NY Police Detective Jim Frascati here on this blog, I've received several emails from taxpayers.

Many emails from Irondequoit, NY residents, who are disgusted with, as many have referred to Irondequoit, NY top cop Jim Frascati, "a dirty cop."

One email in particular from a Monroe County, NY taxpayer, who is disgusted with the fact that not only is Irondequoit, NY Police Detective Jim Frascati paid with taxpayer dollars, but also that Jim Frascati is collecting taxpayer dollars through his security guard business, Swoop 1 Inc.

You see, Jim Frascati's Swoop 1 business, which employs law enforcement officers from different police agencies, including the Rochester, NY Police Department, has multiple contracts with public schools.

And public schools means public dollars.

Taxpayer dollars.

YOUR dollars.

"This cop is really cashing in on the taxpayer when you see all the schools his business contracts for," the person writes in their email to me.

I have decided to keep the taxpayer, who fears retaliation from the Irondequoit, NY Police Department, anonymous.

Here's a list of some of Jim Frascati's Swoop 1 Security business contracts.

-East Irondequoit, NY School District

- Spencerport School District

- East Rochester, NY School District

- Fairport School District

- Bishop Kearney School

- Rochester Institute of Technology College (R.I.T.)

- CMAC Concerts

The person who emailed me asks a great question.

"I wonder if the School Superintendents from these schools are even aware that they are contracting with this guy."

Me too.

I wonder if these schools have even made the connection and realized that the individual who they contract to oversee students of diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds, is Jim Frascati.

CHECK BACK FOR MORE UPDATES.

MY ORIGINAL STORY FROM MARCH 19, 2015

By Davy V.

Irondequoit, NY is a town with a population of approx. 52,000 which borders the city of Rochester, in upstate, New York.

The Irondequoit town line begins just beyond Rochester's northeast side, a part of the city with a Latino population which numbers about 30,000.

For years the Irondequoit, NY Police Department has engaged in racially profiling Latino and African-American motorists who cross into their town.

In fact, Irondequoit, NY Police officers regularly park their cruisers just north of the town line, where they wait for innocent, unsuspecting minorities to drive into Irondequoit.

Irondequoit Police officers refer to this as "Border Patrol."

It's a well known term used among Itondequoit Police officers to let each other know where they'll be positioned to profile, then stop Latinos and African-Americans.

It's also a very well known fact that the Irondequoit, NY Police Department is one of the most racist police forces around.

Which is why I wasn't really surprised when I received an email Thursday afternoon from a "John Doe".

The email was a tip to me about a specific member of the Irondequoit, NY Police Department.

Irondequoit, NY Police investigator Jim Frascati.

The person who sent me the email expressed their disappointment in the fact that investigator Frascati posts disturbing and racist comments on Facebook, even some directed at President Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama.

In one post which IPD investigator Jim Frascati posted on his facebook page, he goes on a rant directed at President Obama and Benghazi.

Frascati writes, "Since I am in the field of solving crimes, here is my suggestion: Mr. Obama Look in the mirror and you solved the crime you piece of shot, yes, that idiot you see in the mirror is the person you're looking for. Grab yourself you piece of shit and turn yourself on, come to itondequoit, Love to process you personally."

Under that same post, investigator Frascati later writes; "listen to this, Facebook threatened to shut me out because of my messages. What happened to my first amendment? I guess some democrats don't like my point of view :( NOT!"

In another post, a photo (above) shows what appears to be a group of African women holding what appears to be bamboo sticks, while engaging in some sort of a tribal dance.

Investigator Jim Frascati, who also owns Irondequoit International Travel agency, located at 516 Titus Avenue, in Irondequoit, NY, as well as Swoop 1, a security guard business which he runs out of the same location as his travel agency, also posts several disturbing rants about Mexicans.

'A Promise To My Dad' is a documentary film about a promise I made to my father at his wake, after he committed suicide.

The short film will explore my dad Mario Vara's life as he leaves Cuba with my mom and my brother in 1968, in search of freedom and a better life for his family.

After moving to Rochester, NY, my dad realized that despite the promises of freedom and liberty that a life in America held, the harsh reality is that there are also many injustices as well.

In fact, my Dad will soon face very similar 'police state' tactics, as the ones he escaped his homeland for in the first place.

'A Promise to My Dad' highlights an incident in the 1980's, when Rochester, NY Police officers Mark Mariano and Randall Benjamin kicked down our home's front door, and illegally entered out home, terrorizing our family at gunpoint, even threatening to shoot our dog.

As a result of this incident. my father Mario Vara became outspoken against police abuse and misconduct.

Unlike many Americans who take their rights for granted, my Dad took a stand to denounce law enforcement violating U.S. citizen's civil rights.

Having lived a communist dictatorship, my father knew all too well what it was like to live in a totalitarian police state, where simply expressing one's dislike for Castro and his government could land you in prison.

My Dad was passionate in his denouncement of rogue cops abusing and violating citizen's civil rights in the U.S.

As a teen. I would tag along with my Dad and accompany him to community meetings, rallies, and marches where my Dad demanded accountability from those whose job is to serve and protect, as well as the elected officials whose job it is to keep them in check.

'A Promise To My Dad' features me telling my Dad's story, including talking about my father's depression and how it led to my father committing suicide in 1993.

'A Promise to My Dad' follows me as I struggle to keep the promise I made to my father to continue his work against police misconduct and corruption, while at the same time trying to find my own identity as a young man, then as a father myself.

Throughout the film I will confront my own struggles with depression, my father's suicide, and the effects that my work has brought to me and my family, including my children having received death threats.

One example of this came in August of 2014, when an ex-con who is known to work with the Rochester Police Department, as a paid confidential informant (C.I.) was captured on a store's surveillance video threatening to murder, and decapitate my 5-year old daughter.

Despite the video clearly showing the individual threatening to kill and decapitate an innocent child, Rochester Police and the Monroe County, NY District Attorney's office refused to charge the individual.

Please support my film "A Promise to My Dad" by making a donation.

It's easy to do.

Just click on the 'Donate' icon located at the top right of the page and follow the easy steps.

All donations are secure through PayPal.

Any donation over $35.00 receives a free 'A Promise to My Dad' t-shirt.